1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, a method of processing video game images for such a video game machine, and a recording medium which stores a computer program for such a volleyball video game.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been known a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game on a virtual volleyball court displayed on a television monitor. The television monitor also displays two virtual volleyball teams on the displayed virtual volleyball court. The game player controls player characters of one of the two volleyball teams to play the game against the other volleyball team on the volleyball court.
The conventional volleyball video game machine has suffered the following problems:
The conventional volleyball video game machine displays the entire volleyball court in a game space on the television monitor. Therefore, the player characters of the virtual volleyball teams who play the volleyball are displayed in a very small size, and hence their movements cannot be displayed realistically.
Another conventional volleyball video game machine alternatively displays volleyball court sections occupied by respective volleyball teams such that one of the volleyball court sections is displayed with the ball as it moves from one of the volleyball teams to the other. This volleyball video game machine is capable of displaying the player characters of the volleyball teams in a relatively large size. However, if the switching between the volleyball court sections is made frequent because of a quick exchange of the volleyball between the volleyball teams, then the game player may not be able to follow the displayed ball.
The conventional volleyball video game machines include a controller having direction keys that can be operated by the game player to move player characters of its own forward, backward, leftward, and rightward on the volleyball court, and buttons that can also be operated by the game player to control game players of its own to make actions to receive, serve, and attack in the game. The game player manually operates the controller to control movements of the player characters.
For example, the game player operates the controller to control a player character to make a receiving action, as follows: The game player operates a direction key to move the player character until a hand of the player character overlaps an expected ball fall position, and then presses a button immediately before the hand of the player character overlaps the ball, whereupon the player character makes a receiving action.
The control operation which the game player carries out to control a player character to make a receiving action requires a considerably level of skill. It is highly difficult or almost impossible for game players who are not familiar with the conventional volleyball video game machines or the controller to perform the above control operation on the controller. Since volleyball is a game in which an error is declared when the ball touches the floor, if the game player fails to properly control a player character to make a receiving action, then the game player tends to suffer an error each time a player character does not successfully receive the ball, and therefore cannot enjoy the video game.
Still another drawback with the conventional volleyball video game machines will be described below. When the game player controls a player character of its own to make an attacking action, the ball hit by the player character has an essentially constant strength of power. Stated otherwise, the conventional volleyball video game machines do not allow the game player to control a player character of its own to make a variety of attacking actions. Consequently, the game player feels somewhat unsatisfactory and is not strongly attracted to the volleyball video game machine.
One of the actual volleyball attack techniques is known as a combination play. In the time-sequence combination, when a setter sets the ball, two or three attackers jumps at different times, and either one of them actually attacks the ball whereas the others fakes spiking in an attempt to deceive the opposing blockers of the offensive team. However, none of the conventional volleyball video game machines have a function which allows the game player to control a plurality of player characters to engage in the combination play. Accordingly, game players cannot enjoy volleyball games similar to actual volleyball on the conventional volleyball video game machines, and are likely to lose their interest in the conventional volleyball video game machines.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, the video game machine being capable of displaying movements of player characters realistically on a television monitor, a method of processing video game images for such a video game machine, and a recording medium which stores a computer program for such a volleyball video game.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game which is attractive to a game player irrespective of how skilled the game player may be, a method of processing video game images for such a video game machine, and a recording medium which stores a computer program for such a volleyball video game.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game which is similar to actual volleyball, making the volleyball video game which is attractive to a game player, a method of processing video game images for such a video game machine, and a recording medium which stores a computer program for such a volleyball video game.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, comprising a monitor for displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The video game machine also has data holding means for holding data of a viewpoint to establish a game space in the virtual space displayed on the monitor, position determining means for determining the position of a ball in the virtual space, moving means for moving the viewpoint depending on the data of the viewpoint and the determined position of the ball, and display processing means for displaying the virtual space on the monitor within a visible range determined by the viewpoint and the direction of an axis thereof.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing video game images for a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game by displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The method comprises the steps of holding data of a viewpoint to establish a game space in the virtual space displayed on the monitor, determining the position of a ball in the virtual space, moving the viewpoint depending on the data of the viewpoint and the determined position of the ball, and displaying the virtual space on the monitor within a visible range determined by the viewpoint and the direction of an axis thereof.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium storing a computer program for controlling a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game to display two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The computer program comprises the steps of holding data of a viewpoint to establish a game space in the virtual space displayed on the monitor, determining the position of a ball in the virtual space, moving the viewpoint depending on the data of the viewpoint and the determined position of the ball, and displaying the virtual space on the monitor within a visible range determined by the viewpoint and the direction of an axis thereof.
According to yet still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, comprising a monitor for displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The video game machine also has control means operable by the game player for controlling player characters, position determining means for determining a landing position of a ball in the virtual space, indicating means for displaying an indicia at the determined landing position of the ball on the monitor, and action control means for controlling either one of the player characters to make a receiving action to receive the ball when the either one of the player characters and the indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance until the ball reaches the landing position.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing video game images for a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game by displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The method comprises the steps of determining a landing position of a ball in the virtual space, displaying an indicia at the determined landing position of the ball on the monitor, and controlling either one of the player characters to make a receiving action to receive the ball when the either one of the player characters and the indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance until the ball reaches the landing position.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium storing a computer program for controlling a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game to display two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The computer program comprises the steps of determining a landing position of a ball in the virtual space, displaying an indicia at the determined landing position of the ball on the monitor, and controlling either one of the player characters to make a receiving action to receive the ball when the either one of the player characters and the indicia are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance until the ball reaches the landing position.
According to a yet still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, comprising a monitor for displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. the video game machine also has control means operable by the game player for controlling player characters, selecting means for selecting a player character to make an attacking action when either one of the player characters receives a ball, receiving means for receiving an input signal from the control means for the selected player character when a player character as a setter sets the ball, and action control means for controlling the selected player character to make the attacking action to attack the ball in response to the received input signal.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, comprising a monitor for displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The video game machine also has control means operable by the game player for controlling player characters, selecting means for selecting a plurality of player characters to make an attacking action when either one of the player characters receives a ball, receiving means for receiving input signals from the control means for the selected player characters when a player character as a setter sets the ball, and action control means for controlling either one the selected player characters to fake the attacking action and controlling either one of the selected player characters to make the attacking action in response to the input signals.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game, comprising a monitor for displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The video game machine also has control means operable by the game player for controlling player characters, selecting means for selecting a plurality of player characters to make a blocking action when one of the player characters as a setter of an opposing one of the volleyball team sets a ball, receiving means for receiving an input signal from the control means for the selected player characters, and action control means for controlling the selected player characters to make the blocking action in response to the input signal.
According to yet still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing video game images for a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game by displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The method comprises the steps of selecting a player character to make an attacking action when either one of the player characters receives a ball, receiving an input signal for the selected player character when a player character as a setter sets the ball, and controlling the selected player character to make the attacking action to attack the ball in response to the received input signal.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing video game images for a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game by displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The method comprises the steps of selecting a plurality of player characters to take part in an attacking action when either one of the player characters receives a ball, receiving input signals for the respective selected player characters when a player character as a setter sets the ball, and controlling either one of the selected player characters to fake the attacking action and controlling either one of the selected player characters to make the attacking action in response to the input signals.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing video game images for a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game by displaying two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The method comprises the steps of selecting a plurality of player characters to make a blocking action when one of the player characters as a setter of an opposing one of the volleyball team sets a ball, receiving an input signal for the selected player characters, and controlling the selected player characters to make the blocking action in response to the input signal.
According to a yet still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium storing a computer program for controlling a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game to display two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The computer program comprises the steps of selecting a player character to make an attacking action when either one of the player characters receives a ball, receiving an input signal for the selected player character when a player character as a setter sets the ball, and controlling the selected player character to make the attacking action to attack the ball in response to the received input signal.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium storing a computer program for controlling a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game to display two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The computer program comprises the steps of selecting a plurality of player characters to take part in an attacking action when either one of the player characters receives a ball, receiving input signals for the respective selected player characters when a player character as a setter sets the ball, and controlling either one of the selected player characters to fake the attacking action and controlling either one of the selected player characters to make the attacking action in response to the input signals.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium storing a computer program for controlling a video game machine for playing a volleyball video game to display two volleyball teams on a court in a virtual space, at least one of the volleyball teams having a plurality of player characters controllable by a game player. The computer program comprises the steps of selecting a plurality of player characters to make a blocking action when one of the player characters as a setter of an opposing one of the volleyball team sets a ball, receiving an input signal for the selected player characters, and controlling the selected player characters to make the blocking action in response to the input signal.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention by way of example.